Speedqueen Janine joins Wheels24

WHEELS24 NEW STAFFER: Janine-Lee Gordon has joined Wheels24 from sister print publication City Press in Johannesburg. Follow her on Twitter on @Speedqueen

Janine-Lee Gordon is the kind of girl who loves the smell of petrol fumes and falls asleep to the sound of late night racing down the street.

While her mother wanted to teach her how to cook she preferred getting her hands dirty under the bonnet of her father’s Ford Escort 1.6 Sport with her cousins. She's not completely useless in the kitchen, though - but she is the girl other women love to hate because she's always talking cars with their significant others.

Don’t ask her out on F1 Sundays and don’t even try to ask to drive her car. She loves being behind the wheel but is a terrible passenger. And she won't think of dating any man if they haven't the slightest interest in cars; sitting and watching rugby is not her cup of rooibos.

JOZI TUGGED

Janine first got a taste of motoring journalism at Tiscali World Online in 2001 after graduating from Peninsula Technikon in Bellville (now Cape Peninsula University of Technology) and she hasn’t looked back. Despite her online background she wanted to try other media: a lifestyle magazine for several months, for instance - but not being able to do anything car-related drove her up the wall.

Jozi tugged at her soul five years ago by offering her a motoring writer position. She spent the last four years as motoring editor at City Press newspaper.

The concrete jungle taught her how to handle bad-mannered taxi drivers, terrible road users and how to get away from hijackings.

HEART OF GOLD

Janine believes in promoting local motorsport and encouraging everyone to support it. She’s known as Speedqueen on the motoring scene and when she’s not out driving somewhere she’s judging show 'n shine competitions at community events. "Don't let my cute smile fool you though, most times I come across as a super bitch," she says.

She’s stubborn and feisty, but has a heart of gold – a real softie once you get to know her.

She’s an avid petrolhead, a Women’s Car of the Year judge and a McLaren fan - although she’s still undecided about cheering for Lewis Hamilton now he's joined Mercedes.

Cape Town owns her heart and soul, though, so she's back home and part of the Wheels24 team.

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Hijackings in SA are most likely to occur on a 'Thursday between 4pm and 8pm', according to data from the SAPS, security companies and Insurance Crime Bureau. Check out this list of hijacking hotspots and times for SA.

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